


Support

by f_romanoff_13



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Injury, mentions of abuse, mission
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-07
Updated: 2014-03-31
Packaged: 2017-12-31 18:45:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1035132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/f_romanoff_13/pseuds/f_romanoff_13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Natasha's sent undercover to a support group for victims of domestic abuse to get some information on a corrupt cop. The mission, as always, does not go to plan.</p><p> </p><p>  <em>*This author is now back at uni, all uncompleted stories are still in progress and i will still be working on them, however it may be a while between updates, sorry!*</em></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> Un Beta-ed  
> All mistakes are my own - apologies!  
> Characters sadly belong to Marvel and not to me :(

Clint and Natasha were both taken up to the medical wing on returning from their latest mission. 

It had all gone to plan, up until the last minute:  
When the two of them were fleeing the building after taking out their mark; a shot was fired by a guy both had thought was dead. It hit Clint in the chest; he was wearing Kevlar and it just cracked a few ribs, but the force of the shot caused him to slam to the ground.

At the distraction of Clint going down; Natasha turned to check on her partner and missed the guy sneaking up behind her. He managed to aim a forceful kick to her temple before she fought back; bringing her knee up between his legs and elbowing sharply to his side. Natasha saw Clint getting up from where he lay and draw his bow. More shots were fired but all missed their marks.  
The sniper was now dead, an arrow protruding from his neck and Clint turned ready to fire at the man who was fighting Natasha.  
Before he could fire; the man grabbed Natasha’s arm, twisting it harshly and snapped her wrist. He wrapped his other arm around her neck, pulling her close to his body, and positioned her between himself and Clint. Clint froze, arrow drawn, but no way to strike the man without hitting Natasha.  
Noone moved, they stood frozen, and then the building collapsed around them...

***

They both had concussions, Clint had several cracked ribs and Natasha had a broken wrist and a black eye, the bruise extended down her jaw line; covering the left side of her face. Both knew it could have been much worse.

When Fury entered the medical bay and exclaimed; “Oh good! You’re injured! That’s perfect”  
The two assassins looked at each other; half expecting it to be the concussion which made them hear that.

“We’ve got another mission for you” 

“But we just got back”

“I know, but while you’re injured it makes sense”

They looked to each other again, sure they were mishearing him.

“Get cleared from medical and then meet me in the conference room. You have 10 minutes agents”

***

The two agents wondered down the hallway thoroughly unimpressed by Fury’s rush to get them back into the field. They just both wanted to go home, get some sleep, and have a shower. 

“Okay here’s the mission parameters; Jared Winston is a NYC Police Officer. He’s been investigated on numerous occasions for drug trafficking but we’ve never had any cause to bring him in. The latest batch of drugs he’s been providing have resulted in at least seven deaths, and we have intel to suggest he now has plans to use this batch to poison certain members of the public”

“Who exactly is he planning on murdering?”

“Intel implies he’s targeting certain members of law enforcement and political figures”

“What’s the plan?”

“We need evidence on this guy in order to take him down. His wife; Lindsay has been on the safeguarding list against domestic violence for years, the couple are known to social services but she refuses to testify. She attends a domestic violence support group once a week and we need you to convince her to give evidence. If we can get him in on that we should be able to get something on his drug trafficking activities and prevent any further deaths”

“You want Nat to go to the support group to make contact?”

“Yes. Natasha your alias is Poppy Monroe, your husband is George Monroe, an ex con, drug addict and all round low-life. You’ll go the meeting tomorrow night, on the run from your husband who you believe to still be in Boston. Make contact, try and get some information. Barton will be watching you from across the street”

“That’s it? Gain her trust, get some info and convince her to give evidence?”

“That’s it for now. Both of you go get some rest; mission starts tomorrow”


	2. II

Natasha was glad that for once, she could make a meet wearing comfortable clothes. She turned up to the meeting wearing jeans, a plain tee and a baggy jumper. Her wrist was wrapped in bandages and in a sling, and the bruise to the side of her face looked terrible. 

She walked in, slightly late (Clint’s fault) and took the last remaining seat as all eyes were on her.   
Jess, who Natasha had been informed was running the group and would be expecting her, introduced her to everyone. Natasha nodded her greeting as everyone welcomed her but avoided making eye contact.   
When asked if there was anything she’d like to share with the group Natasha shook her head, keeping that story close to her chest until it could be used to further the mission.   
She sat and listened for the duration of the meeting, feeling Lindsay’s eyes on her most of the time. She was certainly curious about the newcomer. 

After the meeting was over they had what they referred to as a ‘mingling session’, most people left before then but Lindsay stayed, so Natasha did too.  
There were sandwiches and drinks at the back so she headed over there

“You from New York?” Lindsay asked her, when there was just the two of them left at the refreshments table

“Boston” Natasha answered

“That’s an awful bruise”

“It’s not so bad” 

“He must be brave to hit you where people can see it”

“He doesn’t much care, not anymore”

“Your names Poppy right? I’m Lindsay”

Natasha nodded once more, it was much easier to allow Lindsay to come to her, than to try and force a conversation

 

They spoke over the next few meeting and developed some sort of friendship, but Lindsay still refused to talk about her husband. In the end Natasha and Clint were forced to go to plan B.

Clint was not impressed. He’d outright refused to go to plan B when Fury had mentioned it to them, but it wasn’t looking like Lindsay was going to open up anytime soon, and with time running out, they were left without any other option.

In the middle of the next meeting Natasha’s phone rang, she excused herself to the corner of the room to take the call while Lindsay watched on curiously;

“No George, I’m busy, I- ... Right, right okay, ten minutes” she hung up and snuck out

Clint waited for her part way down the road and when Natasha reached him he started yelling. He sensed a moment later than someone was watching, hoping it was Lindsay he grabbed Natasha by the throat and threw her to the floor.   
He pinned her to the ground and kept her there while she made a show of trying to fight him. He grabbed her flailing arm and pinned that to the ground and leaned in to whisper “I’m sorry Nat” 

“I know Clint, but you’re going to have to do it harder; you need to leave bruises”

He did as she asked and watched with silent tears as she struggled for breath, she passed out and he leapt up off her, he’d already deposited what she needed in her pocket during the fight, so he ran off.   
He stopped in an alleyway a short way down the street, waiting and watching to ensure Natasha was safe.


	3. III

Lindsay ran towards her and lifted Natasha’s head into her lap

“Poppy, Poppy are you okay?”

Natasha started to come round and opened her eyes, seeing Lindsay beside her told her their plan B had worked

“Was that your husband?”

She nodded, closing her eyes tightly in the hope the world would stop spinning

“I thought he was in Boston?”

“So did I, I guess he found me”

Lindsay helped pull Natasha to her feet, but she felt dizzy and grabbed the wall to help support herself

“Come on, I’ll help you home. Which way is it?”

Natasha avoided her gaze once again and started crying

“What, what is it?”

“I don’t have anywhere to go...”

***

Clint watched as Lindsay led Natasha away before leaning back against the wall. He leaned his head backwards and slid to the floor.   
His head dropped to his hands as he shook with anger, in that moment he’d become the one thing he always swore he never would; he’d become his father, and hurt the woman he loved. 

His mind went back to the conference room, when this back up plan had first been brought up, Natasha wasn’t pleased, but Clint was furious. He stormed from the room and down the hallway, only stopping when he felt Natasha tug his arm

“I can’t Tasha, I just can’t do it” 

“It’s necessary Clint” she told him gently

“Well if it’s so damn important then you get someone else to do it! Because I won’t!”

“Clint-“

“No Tasha, get Steve or someone, I won’t hurt you”

“I need it to be you Clint...” she whispered, clutching his hand tighter, almost begging

“Why?”

“I don’t trust anyone like I trust you”


	4. IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge apologies for the delay in updates for this fic, if you read any of my other works you'll know I've been working on a lot of other fics and this one (along with a few others) fell by the wayside, but here we go! And I hope you agree!

Lindsay took Natasha back to her home; a large five bedroom apartment (not too far from Avengers Tower)

“Won’t your husband mind?” Natasha asked quietly, feigning being frightened 

“He’d in DC for a few days”

Natasha nodded and took in the family portraits down the hall; “I didn’t know you had a son” she said, admiring a large photograph, beautifully framed of Lindsay, Jared and a little boy

Lindsay nodded and smiled, looking longingly at the photo; “He’s almost 13 now, he’s growing up so fast”

“I know the feeling” Natasha said hoarsely, but quickly changed the subject before Lindsay could press the matter; “Would you mind if I lie down, I feel a little light headed” 

The other woman led Natasha down the hallway to one of the spare bedrooms and gave her some sweats and a tee to sleep in before retiring to her own room. When Natasha was sure the other woman was asleep she slipped her Shield issue phone from her pocket and wrote one quick message to Clint;

‘It worked. I’m in, and I’m sorry x’

Hiding the phone in her concealed pocket again Natasha went about distributing the mini cameras Clint had slipped her during their fight. Creeping down the hallway she left one outside the main bedroom, one in the lounge, by the entrance and in his office before heading back to bed

 

Natasha had nightmares, had as long as she could remember; ever since being a child. Tonight was no different; there was a face, a face she knew so well twisted and contorted into something unrecognisable. Love turned bitter, trust become sour, familiar and comfort destroyed and forced to become a monster. Eyes too blue and threats ringing all too real; _“I won’t touch Barton. Not until I make him kill you! Slowly, intimately, in every way he knows you fear!”_

She woke suddenly, shaking and sweating; gasping for breath as the nightmare faded away. But before she was fully awake, before her conscious mind had fought free her instincts took over; she used her good hand to grab the throat of the figure leaning over her and and throw them to the floor, before kneeling over them and pressing their body into the ground. As she woke she realised where she was, what was going on, and who she’d pinned beneath her. Scrambling away from the shocked woman, Natasha moulded herself back into Poppy Monroe seamlessly

“I’m- I’m sorry” she gasped

Natasha was sat with her back against the wall, holding her head in her hands while she still fought to catch her breath

“You have nightmares?”

She nodded, apologising again

“Who’s Clint?”

“What?”

“Clint? It’s the name you kept calling out in your sleep”

“Oh erm, Clint is George’s middle name. It’s what he goes by mostly”

“How come?”

“He’s an ex con, dishonorably discharged from the army. Too many people are looking for George Monroe”

Lindsay looked the other woman over; the dark bruises beginning to form round her neck, joining the paling ones still showing across her face. Her arm in a sling from a broken wrist and dark bags beneath her eyes. She truly felt for her, she knew just how she felt

“My life must look pretty easy to you huh?” Lindsay sighed

“Not at all, no one goes to those meetings for fun” Natasha told her, but gave way to a coughing fit as her sore throat protested. Lindsay went to get her a glass of water as Natasha fumbled for the lamp switch, taking a seat on the edge of the bed; Lindsay sat next to her and Natasha made her first bit of real progress in her mission

“I can’t leave, if I leave Jared keeps Jack and I can’t leave my son” Lindsay admitted, before asking “Do you have kids?”

Natasha let a look of shock take over her features slightly, knowing her intentional slip up earlier would have caught the woman’s attention  
Natasha nodded, allowing herself to cry as she whispered “I did”

“W-what happened?” Lindsay asked, moving slightly closer to Natasha

“I erm, I had a pretty shitty life right from the start” Natasha began, recounting the story Fury had provided her with for Poppy Monroe

“My parents died when I was seven, after that my uncle took me in but, he- he-“

“He abused you?”

Natasha nodded, still forcing tears down her bruised cheeks

“I ran away and lived on the streets at 11 and met George when I was 14, he was 19 and he became my entire world. He was good and kind at first; he had a house and job; for the first time in years I could eat food I didn’t have to steal and had a roof over my head”

“So what happened?”

“I fell pregnant; our son, Charlie, was born just after my 16th birthday, but then George went away with the army for a long time, and when he came back he was different. We had our daughter, Grace, the following year but George began drinking and gambling; he got into fights and was kicked out the Army for inappropriate behaviour and he really went downhill. He was in and out of jail for battery and violent behaviour, and that’s when he started taking drugs” 

Natasha stopped in her monologue to gauge Lindsay’s reaction, and was pleased to see she was hanging on her every word

“After all he’d gone through, everything he’d seen in the Army and in jail, he never hurt me. Not until I was expecting our third child. Something snapped in him he became violent at home... he never hurt the kids, but it got to the point where I couldn’t leave the house I was so covered in bruises. When I was seven months pregnant George was really angry at something, and I took the brunt of his rage; he threw me down two flights of stairs and I lost the baby”

Crying again, the speech was paused as Lindsay fumbled for some tissues to pass Natasha

“Charlie was five by this point and George started pushing him around, nothing serious, but I knew I had to get them out of there before it escalated. Charlie and Grace were put into foster care and last year were adopted by a couple in Iowa, I let George follow me as a distraction until their adoption was finalised and their papers sealed; he shouldn’t be able to find them now even if he did go looking. That’s when I came here, I thought I’d finally lost him but here he is, yet again he found me”

“I can’t imagine how hard it was to leave behind your kids”

“I did what was best for them, I kept them safe”

“It was never like that with Jared; a downward spiral. It was just always like this, the false pretence to the outside world; the perfect little family. He never hurts Jack, he loves him, he just has a temper and sometimes I get in the way; mostly he buys his way out of trouble, he’s good at that”

Natasha nodded, eager for her to continue, but Lindsay glanced at the clock; it was 3am and she yawned, excusing herself to head back to bed.

“Goodnight, Poppy”

“See you in the morning... And Lindsay, thanks”

The older woman smiled back at Natasha, before leaving and closing the bedroom door behind her.


End file.
